The medicine fund is one of the most important, live-saving programs that the league has to offer. This fund is money set aside for animals that may need a little more extra care than normal in order to be ready for a new home. Here are some examples of how the medicine fund has been used in recent months:
- Glory B was a Great Pyranees that came to us very sick. She was urinating blood and was very lethargic and depressed. A very kind woman and her husband expressed an interest in Glory B. After getting her examined at the vet, he found that Glory B had a large stone in her bladder. The stone would need to be removed surgically, and the procedure was expensive. Normally, this would be a dog that the league would not be able to help. But because of the Medicine Fund and the love of her new family, we were able to get Glory B the surgery that she needed to be a healthy and happy companion. She is now in her new home and is a very loved member of the family!
- Shaggy was also a Great Pyranees that came to us as a stray. She was around 7 years of age, which is pretty old for a giant breed dog. The staff found a large lump on one of her mammary glands. After getting it checked out at the vet, it was suggested that it come off and get biopsied. This is another procedure that could not have happened without the help of the Medicine Fund. Shaggy's tumor was found to be cancerous, but her quality of life was still very good. The vet told us that he was able to remove all of the cancer. We wanted to find her a family to love her during whatever time she had left. A short time later, a family came in and their children fell in love with Shaggy. They understood that we didn't know how long they would have with Shaggy, and that it was important to spoil her and love her. She was adopted, and the family has reported that she has romped in the yard with the kids and they absolutely adore her!
-Luke was a transfer from the Clarke County Animal Shelter. He is a coonhound mix that is around five years of age (he is pictured laying with his girl in the upper right hand corner of this page). He came to us with a wound on the right side of his head that was swollen. After having the vet look at it, he wanted to take x-rays. The x-rays showed us that poor Luke actually had a fracture in his skull! The vet assured us that it was healing, and that there wasn't much that we could do to help the process along. Luke was an energetic and happy dog that LOVED to eat, so the wound was not affecting his quality of life. We had him neutered at Iowa State University, where he had problems waking up from anesthesia. He was kept in ICU over the weekend and after some bloodwork was run, came back to us. The bloodwork didn't show anything abnormal. After he got back to the shelter, he acted very lethargic and depressed. He then started urinating blood. He was taken to the vet and the urinalysis found that he was having some issues with his kidneys. The vet suggested some TLC was in order, so he went to foster care. His bloodwork and urinalysis were rechecked two weeks later. The bloodwork looked fine, but his urine was FULL of crystals! No evidence of kidney problems were present in his most recent urinalysis. Luke is now on antibiotics and a special food that helps reduce the formation of crystals in the bladder. He is now in a love home where he is absolutely adored! Luke would not be here today if it wasn't for the Medicine Fund.
